For marginalized girls in developing countries whose life outcomes are threatened by poverty and gender-based discrimination, life skills education can arm them with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to rewrite their futures. Oftentimes, their only access to education is through non-formal spaces provided by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Therefore, understanding how non-formal actors can better design and deliver life skills programming for such populations is especially important. In this study, the authors conducted (1) a comprehensive literature review of non-formal life skills programs for girls in developing countries; and (2) a cross-national study of the landscape, design, alignment, and intended outcomes of 103 life skills programs in Ethiopia, Lebanon, and Tanzania. Specifically, they asked who these programs serve, what skills are targeted, what approaches are used, whether there is alignment between what programs offer and what girls need, and what outcomes programs aim to help girls achieve. Key takeaways and policy implications: (1) programs try to teach a breadth of skills, but there is a definition issue to address in program design; (2) there are gaps in what life skills programs measure; (3) life skills practitioners may be missing a key opportunity to inform evidence-based policy and scale programs; and (4) formal and non-formal education stakeholders can learn from each other to improve girls' opportunities for life skills development. [The report is co-written with the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI).]

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